New coronavirus testing sites: Pilsen, Roseland and Joliet

New COVID-19 testing sites have launched in the city’s Roseland and Pilsen neighborhoods, and a drive-up is location coming to the parking lot of a Walmart in southwest suburban Joliet.

A South Side hospital has also begun offering priority coronavirus testing for first responders.

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Walmart announced Friday that the company is closing a drive-up coronavirus testing site in the parking lot of its west suburban Northlake store and moving the operation to southwest suburban Joliet.

The big box retailer said in a news release that the relocation was prompted by the state recently opening a COVID-19 testing site at Forest Preserve Drive on the Northwest Side of Chicago. The Illinois National Guard on Monday began screening health care workers and first responders for coronavirus on a former vehicle emissions testing center in that area, about eight miles from Northlake.

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At the new Joliet site, testing will serve first responders and health care workers who present with coronavirus symptoms or have been exposed to the new virus, as well as patients over 65 who are exhibiting symptoms, the news release said.

People in line for COVID-19 testing at Roseland Community Hospital on April 3, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

“We are proud to have filled a gap in testing and helped the government extend COVID-19 testing in Chicago,” the company said in a news release. “We appreciate the city of Northlake for their support, and we look forward to continuing to serve Joliet.”

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On the Chicago’s South Side, the new Roseland Community Hospital is now offering drive-thru COVID-19 screenings for local residents. Testing began Wednesday, and approximately 30 Chicago police officers were the first to be screened for the new virus, the hospital said in a news release. The hospital is also distributing protective masks to every police officer in the 5th District who needs one, according to the news release.

On the city’s Southwest Side, UI Health on Monday launched a COVID-19 clinic at its Pilsen Family Health Center Lower West.

“This site is by appointment only, but it is a controlled space where patients with mild symptoms can seek clinical care and be evaluated for COVID-19,” the hospital system said in a news release.

Rush University Medical Center on Friday announced it’s providing priority coronavirus testing for Chicago police, firefighters, emergency responders and military personnel, including members of the Illinois National Guard.

“We know our first responders face greater risk of coming into contact with the novel coronavirus by the nature of their work," said Richa Gupta, senior vice president and chief operating officer, in a written statement. "We want to support our police, firefighters, paramedics and military personnel by ensuring they have access as quickly as possible to COVID-19 testing when they find they have any of the symptoms. Doing so also will help protect the people they are serving and help slow the spread of the virus.”